Organized by International Tourism Partnership (ITP) and ECPAT International (ECPAT)
Short description the session:
The session will explore human rights risks and related trends in the tourism and travel sector. Session speakers will provide insights on how they engage on human rights issues, with a focus on human trafficking, forced labour and the sexual exploitation of children. The session will also focus on the value of collaboration and discuss industry-wide solutions currently implemented globally to address human rights risks.
Session objectives:- Discuss the most salient and material human rights risks, including children’s rights risks, in the travel and tourism sector
- Discuss different approaches and common challenges to addressing human rights risks impacting the travel and tourism sector
- Highlight the industry’s focus on collaboration and specific actions to leverage and align with existing best practices in other sectors
- Explore strategies that can accelerate progress among a wider spectrum of partners in the travel and tourism sector
Key discussion questions:- What are the key human rights risks (including children’s rights risks) in the travel and tourism industry?
- What solutions are companies implementing to address trafficking and sexual exploitation in the context of travel and tourism? Recruitment processes can be very complicated.
- What is your company/organisation doing to better understand the risks associated with the recruitment process and create solutions, particularly in places where the only option is to work with a labour recruitment agency?
- What innovative solutions have the industry / companies developed to advance protection for human rights and specifically children’s rights in travel and tourism?
Format of the discussion:
Roundtable discussion format.
Programme:
- Introduction (13:30 - 13:45)
- Solutions developed to address risks of sexual exploitation of children in the context of travel and tourism (13:45 - 14:00)
- Solutions developed to address human rights risks in the recruitment supply chain (14:00 - 14:15)
- Beyond risk management: scaling-up innovative solutions in Travel and Tourism (14:15 - 14:25)
- Interactive session with audience – Scenarios (14:25 - 14:45)
Background to the discussion:
Travel and Tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors with the industry producing 1 in 10 jobs around the world. The sector involves millions of people in its activities, connecting travellers to communities, and relying on complex supply chains. As the industry expands, it endeavours to have a positive impact on human rights, including children’s rights, and to maintain practices that contribute to the UN SDGs. From air travel to hospitality, to local tourist sites management, tourism can negatively affect a vast range of human rights. This session will focus on the industry’s most material risks: human trafficking, forced labour and the sexual exploitation of children.
In recent years, a growing number of global, regional and national entities have taken innovative measures to ensure that as the travel and tourism industry grows, workers’ rights and child protection are taken into consideration. The private sector can be a key alley in preventing sexual exploitation of children and providing safe pathways to employment. The objective of this roundtable will be to present the solutions developed collectively in the sector through multistakeholder initiatives and by individual companies to inspire and foster wider collaboration with corporate and government stakeholders.
Key research and initiatives have been achieved in the tourism sector on this topic which will provide background to this discussion:
